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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28054431">Paper, Cotton, Then Leather</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader/pseuds/avidbeader'>avidbeader</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Cultural Differences, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anniversary, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, M/M, Minor Allura/Lance (Voltron), Misunderstandings, Season 8 Doesn't Exist, Second Anniversary, Sheith Anniversary, Sheith's second anniversary, Weddings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:23:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,389</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28054431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader/pseuds/avidbeader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Coran's system of giving anniversary gifts baffles Keith and Shiro on their second wedding anniversary.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Paper, Cotton, Then Leather</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you as always to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latart0903">Latart0903</a> for her invaluable beta help and thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/UrsaeMinoris">UrsaeMinoris</a> for helping me find a good ending. I hope you all enjoy this silly little fic on second anniversaries (because of course Sheith got married on December 14, 2018).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>On their first wedding anniversary, Coran had given Shiro and Keith a large selection of paper.</p><p> </p><p>It was an odd thing among the rest of the gifts, but some of the alien ambassadors presented them with weirder items. (Keith still blushes at the memory of researching and discovering the shockingly large number intended for the bedroom, and not for sleep purposes.) Shiro had used the small notepads for jotting down reminders. Keith had taken the artist’s sketchpad and started drawing again. They hadn’t known what to do with the reams of printer paper at first, given that printers were nearly obsolete decades before Shiro was born. But one afternoon Lance had brought his nieces and nephews by and they’d ended up creating dozens of folded paper airplanes with it and sent the rest home with the kids.</p><p> </p><p>Now Keith is poking through the basket that has just arrived, bearing a tag with Coran’s name, and can only wonder, “What the hell?”</p><p> </p><p>It’s a safe assumption that it’s for their second anniversary tomorrow. Coran will be there, escorting the New Altean contingent: Allura and Lance, their baby daughter Lenora, and Romelle. Other people planning to attend the small dinner reception have been dropping off their gifts and Keith’s been interrupted all day by the deliveries from those farther away.</p><p> </p><p>But Keith is baffled. The painted white basket with black and red ribbons trailing from the handle holds...cotton?</p><p> </p><p>Cotton balls and swabs. Cotton pads meant to clean off makeup. Washcloths rolled and tied with more ribbon. A pair of little plush rabbits with round fluffy tails. And a bottle of some kind of novelty alcohol, judging from the colorful label on the bottle, with the name “Cotton Gin”. There’s a layer under it all, of thick cotton that might be intended for stuffing a pillow, stuck with longer cotton swabs like a doctor’s office would have, arranged like flowers in a bouquet.</p><p> </p><p>Keith shakes his head and sets the basket to the side, looking at the mountain of parcels that arrived over the course of the day. He starts sorting them between the ones from friends and the ones with unfamiliar names. He’s shifting the one from Pidge, heavy for its size and probably yet another piece of tech she’s invented, when Shiro enters with Sam and Colleen. She’s carrying a basket and Keith’s eyes light up at the selection of fruits from her hydroponic gardens, along with a sheaf of flowers with white blossoms that look like hanging bells.</p><p> </p><p>She grins at his reaction and hands him the basket. Keith spies a few <em> trekun </em> fruits, with the nice bright blue rind his mother described when talking about one of her childhood favorites, and his mouth waters. He’s only tasted them twice before, on New Daibazaal, and he can’t wait to introduce Shiro to them.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro is rummaging in the gifts and pauses at Coran’s basket. “Okay, clearly there’s something I’m missing about Altean gifts. Didn’t Coran give us random stacks of paper last year?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith nods as he sets the fruit and flowers on the island that divides their kitchen from their living room. “Yeah, he did. I don’t know what to make of this.”</p><p> </p><p>Sam investigates the basket full of cotton and frowns, as if trying to remember something. Colleen turns to look and stops, blinking for a few seconds. Then she bursts out laughing.</p><p> </p><p>They all look at her and she takes a few deep, heaving breaths to get her giggles under control. Finally she gasps out, “Sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just… Coran has been around humans for years now, on a ship with humans still over fifty per cent of the crew, and yet he keeps doing things like this.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith’s getting a little impatient, knowing Colleen has the answer to this puzzle but can’t spit it out. Shiro helps, asking, “So you understand what this is supposed to be?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s found a list of traditional anniversary gifts somewhere. But apparently only the list, without examples. It started centuries ago, maybe in the 1700s, where people would mark a 25th wedding anniversary with gifts of silver and a 50th anniversary with gold. And over the years they kept adding to that, first for five-year increments and then eventually more. Anything to encourage consumer spending, you know?</p><p> </p><p>“So there was a list for the first fifteen years of marriage, after which it shifted to the five-year steps. It got updated in the 20th century with more modern gift selections. But the traditional gift for a married couple’s first anniversary was ‘paper’. And that could have been anything from stationery sets for letter-writing to books to paper money. The second anniversary was ‘cotton’ and the couple might get clothing or linens of some sort.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith looks down at the basket. “So Coran literally went shopping for anything that said ‘cotton’ on the label and put a basket together.”</p><p> </p><p>“And bought a bunch of different kinds of paper last year,” Shiro adds, chuckling to himself. “Dare I ask, what’s next year’s tradition?”</p><p> </p><p>“Leather in the original list, crystal or glass in the modern one,” Colleen answers.</p><p> </p><p>“At least that could lead to some practical items, like gloves or shoes,” Sam observes. He’s still looking at the cotton-filled basket and misses it when Keith and Shiro make eye contact, cheeks turning pink. “There’s a year to work with. Maybe I can steer him in the right direction for next time.”</p><p> </p><p>“In the meantime, happy second anniversary! The lily of the valley is the traditional flower for the occasion.” Colleen scoops up the bouquet. “Let’s get these in some water and we’ll help you go through that pile of gifts so you can find your dining table again.”</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>The reception is over and Keith is bone-tired. He may have gotten better at leadership and diplomacy over the years, but he’s still an introvert and being around a lot of people in a situation where he can’t just stay to the side is exhausting. At least now it’s just the core group in their quarters: the other paladins, the Holts, Coran, Krolia, and Romelle. Keith has tucked himself into Shiro’s side and won’t let him move. Hunk and Lance have taken over hosting duties, serving wine from the selection of bottles that were among the gifts.</p><p> </p><p>Lance pauses, seeing the basket of cotton products and reading the tag. “Um, Coran? What’s the deal here? You gave Allura and me one of these for our anniversary, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Coran glances over and beams. “It’s an old Earth tradition! Cotton for the second wedding anniversary!”</p><p> </p><p>Hunk hands Romelle a glass and laughs. “Yeah, but the idea is to give the couple things made of cotton, like bath towels or bed sheets. You know, stuff they can actually use around their home.”</p><p> </p><p>The smile fades from Coran’s face. “Oh?”</p><p> </p><p>Allura shifts her hold on Lenora so she can pat Coran’s hand. “It’s quite all right. We were able to use almost everything in the basket, especially since this little one had just arrived. And you gave us that lovely sculpture as well.”</p><p> </p><p>“We didn’t get a sculpture.” Shiro puts on an exaggerated pout to show that he’s joking.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I didn’t think it would apply. The sculpture was of Silcadria, an ancient goddess of matrimony on Altea. That was for Allura, and the cotton was for Lance since he’s the one from Earth.” Coran pauses, remembering. “I suppose the paper was not good, either?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was good!” Keith sits up. “We didn’t understand why you’d chosen it, but we did use all the paper, eventually.”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t get paper!” Lance protests.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t know about the tradition then,” Coran explains. “So should I think of something else for next year?”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s next year?” Allura shifts Lenora to her shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Leather.”</p><p> </p><p>Lance chokes at Coran’s response and Coran looks over, puzzled and a little hurt. “Is there a problem with leather?”</p><p> </p><p>Lance is tomato-red, still sputtering, and looks pleadingly at Keith.</p><p> </p><p>Keith gives an evil, tooth-filled grin. “Oh no, you’re the one who took it there. You get to explain. Your third anniversary comes before ours”</p><p> </p><p>Allura tilts her head, clearly intrigued by her husband’s reaction. “Lance? What’s the significance of leather?”</p><p> </p><p>Lance blushes even harder, ready to sink into the floor as laughter rings around him.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you as always for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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